How to Watch US-Limited TV Channels Overseas Without Breaking the Bank

Who doesn’t like American TV? From Cartoon Network to MTV Hits/Dance/Base or CNN, Five, Magic and the various versions of ESPN, they seem to have it all there. Whether you’re looking for music videos and information, dance competitions and events, news from all over the words, cartoons, movies or TV shows, you can find it on one of the channels in the US.

However, it’s always been difficult for people outside the US to have access to the American TV channels, as they tend to be limited to US citizens. Even for those who reside in US, but traveling abroad for work, it’s seemingly difficult to access their favorite TV Series. Good news is we searched different options for you and here is an article that shows you just how to watch US-limited TV channels, from wherever you might be.

Use VPN to hide your IP

The main problem with accessing American TV on your computer seems to be the fact that our device’s IP shows we’re no located in the United States. Most websites give access to a variety of TV shows and live movies from the US, but once they recognize the IP, the content is blocked. The most obvious and also legal solution would be to use a VPN service.

What this service will do is basically redirect your internet traffic to a server in the US. This way, what actually happens is that the website you’re using to watch TV will be tricked into thinking your device is located where the VPN server you used is.

To make it even more interesting, if you have a router at home then all the devices connected to that router will be able to use the same IP. Whether it’s a playstation or Apple TV, it’s easy to connect it to the same VPN server. However, if that’s not the case, you can simply connect the computer to an external display, such as the one from your TV in order to watch US channels on a bigger screen.

Using VPN is entirely legal and requires a monthly payment of $100 that will give you unlimited access to everything you need. Additionally, you may want to subscribe to one of the providers on the internet that offer access to TV shows and movies from the US – Hulu Plus and Netflix are two examples.

Alternatively, you can sign up for Unlocator, which is a premium service (with free trial) for unblocking geo-restricted sites like Hulu, Netflix and others.

Sign up to the US iTunes Store

Whenever you sign up for iTunes, as well as many other American-based software, the installer will identify your location and automatically sign you up for a package that suits the country you’re based in. However, you can trick iTunes into thinking you’re US-based while you’re not doing anything illegal. You can buy an US iTunes gift certificate that is available on eBay for $50 or more and then sign up using the gift code to have an US valid address.

Alternatively, if you happen to go to the United States from time to time, you can also buy the same gift certificate directly from an Apple store there. Whenever you’re getting a new account on iTunes using a gift card, the account will be connected to the country you bought the certificate from. That’s all you need to do in order to have access to all the high quality shows and movies to choose from.

Subscribe to SKY TV

If you’re lucky enough to be located in Europe then it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 to subscribe to the British Sky TV. This one is the home of many American shows and movies and comes with various packages to choose from. The first one is Sky Entertainment available for $35 and includes only 35 channels, but if you’re looking for more than that there are other options with more than 80 channels available.

Once you sign up for Sky TV, you can receive a Sky+HD box for free. Now you can also watch British TV shows, while you’re given access to most American TV channels that are received with only a small delay compared to the ones in the United States.

Use an application

There are many applications available depending on what you’re interested in – some are free and some are not, but the choice is yours. If you’re looking for an application that will enable you to watch most TV channels, then you could opt for Watch TV Abroad, which is free to download and install, fitting any device that runs on Android, iOS, Mac or Windows. This one also allows you to switch to British or American IP depending on what you’d like to watch.

Alternatively, you may prefer a certain TV channel in the United States. If that’s the case, there’s no need to get all the possible channels, but only one. There are specific applications available for more TV channels. For example, ABC, NBC, TNT, TBS, TV.com, Cartoon Network, Fox Now and PBS are available for free on iOS and Android. All you have to do is explore the options and choose what suits you best.

Subscribe for a pass

There are many websites that offer passes – Habu.TV, Tellypass.com, My-expat-network.com or A2BTV are just some of the options available. Most of them are around $5 or more monthly and give you access to all the shows you’d like to see. Some of them require a router such as SlingBox, in order for you to be able to use the pass anywhere in the world.

These are only five of the most popular ways to watch American TV abroad, but we are sure there are many others, which might not really be legal. We consider these ones to be the easier ones to use, as they don’t require much time and you’re not wasting your money. Enjoy watch US TV channels!

Alex Serban Feature Writer Alex holds an engineering degree in Telecommunications and has been covering technology as a writer since 2009. Customization is his middle name and he doesn’t like to own stock model gadgets. When he’s away from the keyboard, simpler things like hiking, mountain climbing and having a cold drink make his day.